


The Return

by seijhoes



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Comfort, F/F, F/M, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Mind Manipulation, mostly Soren and my oc, some rayllum but it's not the main focus, some violence but not until near the end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:22:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21850642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seijhoes/pseuds/seijhoes
Summary: Our original trio is back again and excited to be attending the wedding of Soren, and the Queen of Del Bar, Alisa. However, when they get there, they realize that evil is afoot, and they're going to have to go face to face with some old foes, and a new face.
Relationships: Callum & Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Claudia & Aaravos (The Dragon Prince), Soren (The Dragon Prince)/Female Original Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really excited about this bc I love the idea that Claudia isn't the character we once knew, and that she's going down this path that she can't come back from. I wanted to explore that a little more, and I hope I do a good job of it. Also enjoy Alisa! She's my bb girl, she's so sweet.

Prologue

“Dad, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Claudia, just get me inside.” 

Claudia nodded, helping her father, Viren, inside the abandoned home they’d stumbled upon on their way back to Katolis. Or, somewhere near Katolis, as they would surely be recognized and arrested if they stepped foot back into the kingdom they once called home. It had taken longer than it would on horseback to get home, they kept having to stop so that Viren could rest, so it probably took them a little over a month. She helped him sit on the chair in the living room area, the wood creaking when he sat down. She heard him grunt in slight discomfort, and she felt awful that she couldn’t do more to help alleviate the pain he was still feeling from his… Fall, off the Storm spire. 

“He’ll be alright, he needs to be, if he wants to finish his journey.” A deep voice sounded from behind them, and Claudia sighed inwardly.

“I know, Aaravos, but he’s still healing. He literally died, so…” She trailed off, Aaravos chuckling softly.

“He did in fact perish in that fall, but it was your will that brought him back, you’re the most impressive dark mage I’ve seen in eons.” Aaravos complimented, bowing a little. “Your father taught you well.”

Claudia couldn’t help but swell with pride at the compliment, a small smile making its way to her face. “Thank you, he did! I just, want to make him proud, that’s all.”

“I’m sure you have, isn’t that right Viren?” He purred, nudging her father, who seemed extremely out of it.

Viren jumped slightly, nodding. “I am, extremely proud of you Claudia.”

“See?” Aaravos chuckled. “Your potential is astounding, why, none of this could have happened without you.”

She tilted her head. “You mean my dad falling to his death off a really tall mountain?”

“...No, I mean this whole plan. Charging into battle so fearlessly, willing to do anything and everything to ensure the future of your kingdom? Even so willing to kill the young king and prince, ones you had considered friends. All for the greater good.” 

Claudia felt a twinge of guilt at that last part, sighing. It was true, it had looked as if she was going to let her father stab Ezran if Soren hadn’t stepped in, and if it hadn’t been an illusion. But, she wouldn’t have, it wasn’t real after all, if it had been, she would have definitely stepped in… Wouldn’t she?

“It doesn’t matter anymore anyway I suppose, those wretched humans and elves think they’ve won, but I think we’ll find a way to regain the upper hand.” Aaravos hummed. “We just need to wait for the right moment to strike.”

“Right… What do we do in the meantime?”

“Well, my dear, patience is a virtue, and we’ll need a lot of it in order to figure out our next move.” He chuckled. “So, we need to be patient.”

“Patient… got it.”

***

1 month later

Claudia spent most of her time nowadays either out in the woods, or taking care of her father and making sure he was healing. Most times, the reason of why she was in the woods was because she was gathering herbs, roots, berries, or even little creatures for her spells and potions so she could help her dad feel better. To be honest, some of it was for her, too, since the spell she used to bring him back was extremely powerful. She just felt so… Drained, even more than when she had helped Soren. Then again, she wasn’t bringing a person back from the dead that time either.

She sighed, grabbing a handful of red berries and shoving them in a little basket. She had been about ready to go home when she heard a pair of voices nearby. Thinking quickly, she ducked down behind some bushes, holding her breath as they stopped right in front of her. Were they guards? Just random strangers passing through the woods?

“-Mhm, married, I couldn’t believe it when I heard.” A male voice spoke excitedly, his voice rising with every word.

“Huh, and how did the lucky bastard manage to snag the Queen of Del Bar?” Another chimed in, though this one sounded disbelieving.

“No idea, but the wedding is bound to be the biggest since Queen Sarai and King Harrow’s, may they rest in peace.” 

Claudia sighed and peeked through the bushes, trying to get a look at who was talking. Like she had guessed, they were guards, ones from Katolis at that, so she guessed they weren’t too far from the kingdom itself if they were patrolling out here. She didn’t recognize them, though she probably wouldn’t have anyway, and one looked a little younger than the other. But she was curious, who was getting married? Did she know who it was?

“Nevertheless, you can’t say that she and Soren aren’t a good looking couple.” The younger guard pointed out, and she had to clasp her hand over her mouth to keep from exclaiming loudly.

...Sorry, what? Her brother Soren? That Soren??

“I suppose, I’m just grateful since we’ll probably get the day off for it.” The older one chuckled. “Just jealous that that bastard gets to be king.”

“Do you think he’ll keep his Crownguard duties?” But Claudia didn’t hear the answer as she heard them walk away, though her mind was racing too much for her to even concentrate on their conversation anymore anyway.

When the hell had Soren gotten acquainted with the Queen of Del Bar? She knew that Florian had died, and that his son, Blaise, had taken over and joined their cause when they went to Xadia, though she supposed that she didn’t know he had died. She also wasn’t aware that he had a sister, who had somehow met her brother and fallen in love with him within the span of a month, and decided to get married?? 

And Soren, she didn’t even know that he wanted to get married one day. He had always been so interested in his Crownguard duties, and he had seemed like such a casanova that she thought he would rather be a ladies man then just settle down. How well did she actually know her brother?

Claudia didn’t remember going home, but she supposed she managed to go back at some point, sighing and putting her basket of goodies on the table. Her father was fast asleep, but Aaravos was sitting at the table, drumming his fingers against it. 

“Someone looks distracted.” He hummed, looking up at her. “Did you find our way back in?” He teased.

Now, it hadn’t occurred to her at the time, but this really could be the right opportunity. She looked down at him, flashing a smile. “My brother is getting married to the Queen of Del Bar.”

Aaravos sat up straighter, his interest piqued. “Oh? Is he now?”

“Mhm, I heard a couple of Katolis guards talking about it while I was out.”

“Well well, it seems we’ve got a wedding to attend don’t we?” Aaravos chuckled.

***

“Excuse me, sir?”

Soren looked up from the practice dummy he had been practicing with, flashing a wide smile. “Ansel! My main man, what’s up?”

Ansel, Del Bar’s high councilman, let out a soft chuckle before bowing out of respect. “Pardon my intrusion sir, but it seems you have a visitor.”

“Oh, who is it? If it’s any wedding stuff it has to go through- Uh, what’s her name-”

“Annaliese, sir.”

“Yeah! That’s it, our wedding planner, coordinator person.”

“Well, it does pertain the wedding, in a sense, though your visitor said she wanted to see you personally.”

Soren blinked, “She?”

Ansel nodded, “Should I allow her in sir?”

“Um, sure, go ahead.” He shrugged, trying to wrack his brain as to who this mysterious visitor may be. His face paled when she walked in, and his expression dropped. “Claudia.”

Claudia flashed a smile at him. “Hey, Sorbear… How ya been?”

He frowned, waving Ansel away. “You can go, this is between my sister and I.”

Ansel nodded and left the room, leaving the brother and sister alone. Soren crossed his arms, his gaze still ice cold. “What do you want, Claudia?”

She sighed, walking forward until she stood right in front of him. “I heard you were getting married, I can’t believe you wooed a queen, you sly dog, you.” She grinned, frowning as he turned his head away from her. “Cmon Soren, what do I have to do to show you that I’m sorry?”

“I dunno, are you still evil? Still working with dad’s little bug pal?” 

“Of course not! I… I don’t know what got into me but I promise you I’m here for you, I missed you.” She pleaded, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Please, Sorbear?”

Soren regarded her warily, letting out a resigned sigh after a minute. “I… I don’t know if I can forgive you yet, but… It would be wrong if my own sister wasn’t at my wedding, yknow?”

Claudia nodded, her smile getting wider. “Yeah! So… Good for now?”

“For now, we’ll see I guess.” He tried to hide it, but a small smile crept onto his lips. “I missed you too Clauds.”

She grinned and pulled him into a hug, resting one hand on the back of his head. “Good… And I’m sorry for this.”

“Wha-”

Claudia pulled back, resting her hand on the front of his head, trying to ignore his bewildered expression. “Mentem tuan al volatum adsumo.”

His eyes went blank for a moment, and she watched as he slowly came to. He blinked, then looked at her strangely. “Claudia?”

She smiled at him, embracing him again. “I just wanted to thank you again for inviting me and dad to the wedding, we really can’t wait to meet her!”

Soren hesitantly hugged her back, nodding. “Right, of course, you’re my family, why wouldn’t you be there?”

“Exactly, now, I’m gonna get settled in okay? You can get back to whatever you were doing.” She pat his shoulder and walked off, leaving him to go back to his practice, though he was extremely confused.

Meanwhile, Claudia made her way to the first bedroom she stumbled upon, closing the door. God, she felt so bad, but she had to do it.

“Very good Claudia, everything went according to plan.” Aaravos spoke up from behind her.

She jumped and turned around, her hand flying to her mouth to prevent a scream. “Jeez, do you ever make a normal entrance? Like, through maybe a door?”

“But then people would see me and your father, and we couldn’t very well have that could we?” He gestured to Viren, who was sitting on the bed.

“So then how did you get in?”

“I’m an Archmage, I know many things that you don’t.” 

Claudia sighed, “Whatever, I began the process, and soon he’ll be completely under our control.”

“Good.” He nodded in approval. “Remember Claudia, this is all for your father’s benefit. Just like I said, and how I taught you, your brother’s energy and will be transferred to Viren, and he will regain his strength and his will. It will be as if nothing ever happened in the first place.”

She nodded, “Okay, but what about the queen? She’ll notice something off about him.”

Aaravos chuckled, “Trust me, my dear, I’ve planned this from the very moment you told me about your brother. You have nothing to be worried about.”

Claudia sighed, “Okay, I trust you.”

(Spoiler alert, she shouldn’t).


	2. the journey to Del Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite trio is back in action, and head to Del Bar to attend the wedding of their friend Soren and the queen, Alisa. But something is off when they arrive, or at least Callum thinks so. Is it all in his head or is something sinister going on within the castle walls?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops this chapter took forever, senior year is kicking my ass, but here it is finally! I'll be trying to update some of my other fics as well just try to be patient with me please! Enjoy this chapter, it's a little longer this time around ;)

A few weeks later, the week of the wedding

“How do your arms not get tired?”

“Dunno, but then again they’re not even really arms at that point? I mean, are arms wings? I-”

“I think that’s something you can consult the royal library about, Callum.” Rayla chuckled, leaning forward and giving him a peck on the cheek before they landed in front of the castle gates. The guards gave them a nod and let them pass, the two of them making their way to the throne room.

A lot had happened since the final battle at the Storm spire; Ezran had gone back to Katolis to become king, without anyone trying to usurp the throne this time around, and Callum and Rayla had stayed in Xadia. Callum, to train more under Ibis, the Skywing elf mage, and Rayla to help train the new Dragonguard. But here they were, back in Katolis, because Ezran had wrote to them that he had an important matter to discuss with them both. Whether it was good or bad he didn’t specify, but he did say it was urgent.

They walked hand in hand to the throne room, the doors opening to reveal Callum’s younger brother peeking around the throne, as if he was looking for something. “Bait! Bait, where are you?”

Callum grinned, clearing his throat. “Bait always was the superior hide and seek player wasn’t he?”

Ezran gasped and turned around, grinning widely as he ran towards them and gave them each a big hug. “Callum! Rayla!”

“How are ya Ez?” Rayla ruffled his hair affectionately, smiling.

“Good! Even better now that you guys are here.” He smiled and went to sit back on the throne, Bait crawling out from behind a column and sitting by Ezran’s feet. “Oh, there you are!”

“So, what was it that you needed to talk to us about?” Callum asked, loosening the scarf around his neck.

Ezran smiled, leaning down and scooping Bait up onto his lap. “Right! So, I’ll just get right to it. Since I’m currently high mage-less, I want Callum to be my new one!”

Callum’s jaw dropped, literally. “W-What? Seriously? You want me to be your new high mage?”

“Yeah, I mean you’ve gotten a lot better at magic, and I know you would do great! Besides, I miss you.” He smiled, “So, what do you say?”

“Yes! Absolutely, yes!” He grinned, going up to him and giving him a big hug. “I don’t know what else to say…”

“You’re welcome.” Ezran smiled and peeked over his shoulder. “And Rayla! I want to offer you a position as apart of my Crownguard, the first ever Moonshadow elf to be apart of it.”

Rayla pointed to herself, almost as if she thought he were addressing another Moonshadow elf named Rayla in the room. “Me? You want me to?”

“Duh.” He smiled. “You’re one of the greatest fighters I’ve ever met, and I bet you could teach my human guards a little something too! But, I mean if you’re still busy with the Dragonguard, I understand.”

She stood there for a moment, pondering. Usually she and Callum discussed big decisions like this together, but since it had been such a surprise, they didn’t really have the time. Then again, the Dragonguard would be fine without her, they were highly skilled warriors, and besides, wherever Callum went, she would follow. “Of course, I would be honored.”

“Cool! Man, it’s gonna be like it was before, just the three of us.” Ezran smiled, rubbing Bait’s head affectionately. “And it’s a good thing you said yes, Rayla, I didn’t wanna have someone I didn’t like or wasn’t skilled.”

Callum tilted his head. “Wait, where’s Soren?” He looked around, as if he had just noticed that he wasn’t there.

“Didn’t you hear? He’s getting married to Queen Alisa.” Ezran turned to Corvus. “Corvus could you-”

“Here your majesty.” Corvus pulled an envelope out of his pocket, handing it to Ezran. “You told me to hold onto it.”

“Oh, that’s right, thank you.” He smiled and took it, handing it over to Callum. “It’s their wedding invitation.”

Callum opened the already torn envelope and pulled out the invitation, Rayla peeking over his shoulder so she could read it. “Wow, I didn’t even know Del Bar had a queen.”

“Yup, she inherited the throne after her brother was arrested for war crimes.” Ezran hummed. “I guess she and Soren hit it off! I swear I told you guys about it in a letter.”

“Regardless, we’re happy for him, I hope he’s happy.” Callum smiled and tucked the invite back into the envelope.

“Seems to be, he’s living there in Del Bar with her, which is why I needed a replacement.” Ezran smiled, “And I couldn’t think of anyone better for the job than Rayla!”

Rayla grinned and gave a little exaggerated bow. “It’s an honor and a pleasure, your majesty.” She giggled.

“Wait, it said that they’re getting married on the 10th?” Callum asked for confirmation, to which both Corvus and Ezran nodded. “Isn’t that this week?”

“Yup! I thought we could all go together, if you want.” Ezran smiled as he gave Bait a rub on his head, to which the glow toad responded with a satisfied croak. 

“Sounds good to me, it’ll be nice seeing Soren again.” Rayla stretched.

“Aw, you guys are total best friends.” Callum grinned, lightly teasing her. “It’s so cute.”

“Shut up, yeah, he’s not as bad as I thought he was. I guess, like us, we got off on the wrong foot.” She chuckled, watching as Ezran got up from his throne and headed towards the doors. “Won’t stop me from teasing him about this queen, whatever her name is.”

“Alisa!” Ezran smiled and (with a little help) mounted his horse. He had two other guards get horses for Callum and Rayla, giving Bait a pat on the head. “She’s really sweet, but also like, really tough! She hunts, it’s really awesome!”

“Well I like her already.” Rayla mounted her horse, stroking its mane as it gave a little whinny. 

“I’m excited to meet her, I’m also excited to explore Del Bar.” Callum smiled, shifting a little giddily on the saddle. “It’ll be an exciting week that’s for sure.”

Ezran nodded, “You guys ready?” Once he got affirmative nods from both, he galloped out first, his entourage behind him.

***

Del Bar was a lot colder than both Callum and Rayla had anticipated.

Of course, Callum knew that the kingdom was in the mountains, but he wasn’t 100% sure that the coat he was currently wearing was going to be enough. Fingers crossed that they had spares somewhere in the castle. Once they arrived, and were let inside, they were led to the throne room to meet the queen herself, and their friend, the soon to be king. The throne room was quite grand, with paintings on the wall of Florian and the former queen with Blaise and Alisa, and then just Florian himself, and finally Alisa herself, the royal lineage all captured forever on the canvas. Alisa herself was sitting on her throne, with Soren leaning down next to her, like she was sharing a secret with him. When the royal entourage from Katolis entered, she pat his arm and he straightened back up, looking quite serious. Alisa, however, smiled widely at them. “Welcome to Del Bar, we’re so glad to have you! Soren’s told me so much about you, haven’t you love?” She looked to Soren, who merely just nodded. 

Ezran smiled and bowed, “Thank you for hosting us here your majesty, though I don’t know if I can forgive you for taking my best Crownguard.” He teased.

Alisa chuckled, “Unfortunately for you, I have no intentions of letting him go.” As if to prove her point, she hugged his arm tightly, a bright smile on her face. Soren, though, looked very blank, not even a smidge of happiness on his face, which Callum thought to be odd for a man who was to be married soon.

“Uh, hey Soren, good to see you!” Callum greeted, waving awkwardly. “Or, uh, your highness? I’m not sure if there’s some kind of protocol-”

“Just Soren works, no need to address me so formally.” Soren said coolly, still letting Alisa hug his arm. “Nice to see you Callum, Rayla, your majesty.”

Callum blinked, looking at the others, were they noticing what he was seeing? Soren was usually a lot more outspoken, and about a thousand times more cheerful than this. The formality reminded Callum of Viren, Soren’s father, who had died falling off the Storm spire a few months back. It just felt… cold, devoid of any emotion. 

But the others didn’t seem to notice anything off, or if they did, they didn’t show it outwardly, just watching the couple interact. Maybe it was just him, after all he hadn’t seen Soren in a while, maybe the royal life had made him a little more serious. You had to be at least a little serious to be a king, or maybe Soren just wanted to seem mature in front of his fiancee, so maybe it was just Callum over analyzing the situation. He shook his head and smiled, everything was probably fine.

“Oh, excuse me, where are my manners, Ansel?” Alisa called, still nuzzling Soren happily.

A young man stepped forward, bowing. “Your majesty.”

“Could you show our guests to their rooms? Soren and I have some more wedding business to attend to.” She stood, leading him to another room. “We’ll see everyone for dinner tonight!”

Ansel nodded and beckoned them to follow him back to the main room and up a giant staircase. On the walls there were animal heads and pelts, probably from Alisa’s many hunts or even maybe her brother and father’s. It made Callum slightly uneasy, seeing all the empty eyes staring down at him. “So, how long have you been working for the queen?”

“Well, I first worked with her father for many years, since I was sixteen, but when he died, and Blaise became the king, I sort of was pushed to the side.” Ansel frowned, shaking his head. “He saw his sister as a threat, and locked her and anyone else who was associated with her away. Thankfully, I had people on standby who helped us, and that’s when we joined your side in the battle.”

“Wow…” Callum shook his head, her family sounded a lot more complicated than he thought his own had been. “When did she ascend the throne?”

“As soon as we returned to Del Bar, we didn’t want anyone to attempt and take the throne from her.” Ansel hummed and stopped in front of one door. “Here is the king’s suite, I’ll be back to check on you your majesty.”

“As his Crownguard, I’ll be staying with him if you don’t mind.” Rayla smiled, but Callum knew that she wasn’t asking for permission. She’d always been protective of Ezran, which just added to the list of the many reasons Callum loved her. 

Ansel nodded, “In that case, follow me if you would sir.” He started walking again, his hands behind his back.

“So… Ansel, could I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

Callum sighed. “Has Soren… Been okay? I don’t know if you would know, but he just seems… Not himself?”

Ansel sighed, stopping in front of another suite. He looked around, as if he were afraid of someone hearing them talk. “Between us, sir Callum, he hasn’t been, not for a few weeks now. I… I’ve found him wandering the castle multiple times, like he’s in some sort of trance, and when I ask, he seems to snap out of it and walks off somewhere else.” He leaned closer to him. “It’s not my place to say anything, and the queen doesn’t seem to see a problem, so please don’t-”

“Ansel!”

The two men jumped and turned, seeing Alisa standing at the end of the hallway. Callum didn’t know why, but her gaze seemed cold, and bore into him. Ansel shuddered, standing up straight. “Yes, your majesty?”

“Can you come with me please? If you’re done showing our guests to their rooms.” 

“Of course your majesty.” He bowed and walked to her, the two disappearing around the corner.

The whole exchange left Callum with a lump in his throat, and quickly went inside his room, leaning against the double doors. There was something sinister going on here, and he was going to figure out what it was.


End file.
